Roughing it just became easier

By STEVE HART

Backpacking is on the brink of coming of age. Often considered the "last choice" option for travel, it is now on its way to becoming a serious contender for touring on the cheap as the industry gets the corporate makeover from hotel chain Accor.

The company has more than 3700 hotels in 90 countries and is better known for its Novotel, Ibis, All Seasons and Sofitel chains.

Base Backpackers has been launched with the aim of having the first globally branded backpacker network in the world.

The test-bed will be New Zealand and Australia. As part of the launch, Base will open two new backpacker hostels in Auckland and Wellington by the middle of next year.

Graeme Warring, CEO of Base Backpackers, said: "Base will completely transform the face of backpacking by offering a reliable international name on the scene that guarantees a consistent standard of accommodation.

"We are not going to change the face of backpacking, but today's backpackers expect better standards behind the scenes and a greater range of services from a hostel."

Warring says the company is marketing to a new breed of backpackers who are better educated, better informed and more widely travelled.

"People will no longer settle for the flea-infested beds and dodgy facilities that were a 'right of passage' for backpackers in the early years," said Warring.

The company's hostels will not have a discount, cut-price concept, and will charge between $17 to $27 a person a night depending on the hostel's location, the time of year and type of accommodation.

Apart from the obvious youth market, Base intends to target families, the over-50s, sporting groups and schools.

The company says typical services offered at its hostels will include themed bars, chill-out areas with large-screen televisions, games, lounges and dancing. There will be modern internal security, shared cooking facilities, travel advice and help with visas, banking and employment.

Accommodation will include small share rooms, single-sex rooms and private rooms with ensuite bathrooms.

Base Backpacker hostels will open initially in Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown, with others to follow in the Bay of Islands and the West Coast.

The company's first acquisition in New Zealand is The Wall in Rotorua, which will eventually be rebranded with the company's name.

Warring was unable to be specific about Australia, but said they were committed to open hostels at all the major gateways and key tourist areas, with the UK and Europe to follow.

Base Backpackers

Accor